Washington DC Dive Bar Guide

Few cities need a drink quite like Washington DC, the patchwork of dive bars throughout the city a required respite from the very real…everything going on throughout the district. And while dive bars don’t cure all problems, DC’s dive bar inventory makes the pursuit of that determination a worthwhile activity.

It is impossible to discuss Washington DC dive bars without first mentioning Dan’s Cafe, a building that looks like it might have been condemned years ago that serves its drinks in a squeeze bottle with accompanying shot glass. Prices have increased over the years and some debate exists over whether this dive has been overrun by experience-seeking hipsters, but Dan’s Cafe cannot be missed.

Husband & wife co-owners Matthew McGovern and Rose Donna have opened two of the city’s best dive-adjacent new entrants to DC’s drink scene in The Wonderland Ballroom and Dew Drop Inn, two great options combining a low-frills atmosphere with affordable pricing by DC standards. And in the great dive bar tradition of contradictory naming conventions, Raven Grill holds the city’s oldest liquor license and despite its name serves no food.

The selections below span a number of DC’s unique and densely-packed neighborhoods, each divey drinking option offering something unique and reflective of the micro-community it serves.